Do you do everything necessary to finish what you start, or do you have a habit of starting things but not finishing them?
It might be the new business you want to start but you’re still researching. It might be the book you want to finish writing but you just don’t seem to get to the end. Maybe it’s the weight loss target you set yourself, that you keep attempting but never quite get there.
To many people I come across have the habit of starting new things but not finishing them. It seems that the hardest thing for many to do isn’t starting things but finishing them. Finishing what you start can be the most overwhelming challenges of your life. In fact most of us don’t succeed in what we want to do simply because we don’t see them through.
It is so common to see people getting discouraged by the things they come to realise they still need to do to complete a project or attain a goal. It seems to them no matter what they’ve already had to do there’s so much more that needs to be done. They come to think it’s almost impossible to even see the finishing line. The amount of time and work still needed overwhelms them and so they opt out before they’ve got to the end.
The desire to finish what you start has to come from within. Whenever you start a new project, you are filled with excitement and expectation. But then one day, after a lot of effort and time has been put into it, the project just doesn’t seem as important as you once thought. It may now seem more like hard work than an exciting project, or maybe its outcome is seemingly looking further away than ever before. You now start focusing less and less time on working in this area, until the time comes where it just becomes a thing of the past.
I find this such a shame. Anything worth starting is surely worth finishing. If you have put so much time and effort into attaining something its simply crazy not to finish it off, particular if the end result is something you truly want. In my mind there is nothing more fulfilling than having the joy and satisfaction of knowing you’ve finished what you started. The reward can be so fantastic. The process of getting there may see you struggling at times, dealing with obstacles, but when it’s over, you have that satisfying feeling of knowing you achieved what you set out to do.
Before you start anything the first thing you have to ask yourself is whether it really is important to you. How much do you want it? Are you willing to do what would be necessary to achieve the end result?
I’m sure we all had to do cross country running at school. I know I did. Although I have always been a very sporty person, running long distances was never one of my strengths. I loved sport but I loved winning equally as much. Cross Country was one of the few things that at the start line I knew I couldn’t win. But my mindset didn’t focus on that. It was concentrating always on getting to the finish line. This was a must do. I wouldn’t accept myself quitting. I never did fail to finish, and was normally well placed purely down on my laser focus to make it to the end.
You need to be truly empowered to follow all the way through on completing things. I know the business we have been building over the last three years has at times felt a long journey. At times it’s felt we had hit the wall, but we never stopped. I know that the formula I have always used in my life has served me well and it has certainly supported me on this journey. Let me briefly explain it to you.
First, ask yourself “What do I want?” Take the time to decide what it is you want. When you know the answer to this everything you do will make you efficient, more productive, more fulfilled, and more alive than ever before. Knowing what you want enables you to control your focus and decide in advance what things you are going to concentrate on, where you’re going to put your emotions, time, and energy.
Next ask “Why do I want it?” Once you know what it is you really want you need to empower everything you’re doing by knowing exactly why you want to do it. This will provide you with the emotional drive to follow through and to do whatever it takes to achieve the result you desire.
Make sure that the timing is right for you by asking “Is the time right?” Assess the timing means ensuring that this is the right time to start something new where you can focus your efforts on the activities that will help you achieve the attainment of this goal. If there are any other big things going on in your life, you have to assure you will be able to make the time to do enough towards this goal to decide whether now is the time to get started. When we started building our business, initially we both were doing other jobs but wanted to do this enough that we were prepared to work late into the evening and on weekends.
A key question to ask is “Am I prepared to commit to this?” You got to be 100% sure that you want this enough so that you will stick with it no matter what obstacles come your way. Have no doubts you’ll experience difficulties, and your commitment will show itself through your persistence and determination. Having a compelling vision is what gives you a sense of absolute commitment and will ensure that you keep going no matter what in pursuit of your goal. In the end, what makes us truly happy is not so much what we have achieved in our lives, but who we have become in the process. What creates lasting fulfilment is the knowledge that every day we are growing and expanding as a person; and seeing things through to the end particularly on doing something that has great value, especially life changing, can be the greatest thing we do.
Now you have to keep taking action to drive you to follow through and to achieve your goals. You have to take steps in order to achieve your result. You must be focused on the big picture of what’s important to you to ensure that your actions are driving you in the right direction helping you achieve your goals helping you finish what you started. In everything we do, it is our passion and enthusiasm for life that makes us keep taking action. We keep finishing what we start because we are driven by our compelling vision and it drives us through all the obstacles we face.
It is also crucial that you are always reviewing your progress. This helps you to stay on track. How far have you got towards your goal? What actions do you need to take now that will get you closer? What are you not doing that you need to be doing?
The final part of my formula, but a key one is that I visualise the end result. I see it in my mind often. I can clearly picture what life will look like when everything turns out the way I want when I have finished what I started. I not only see it, but I also feel the sense of pride of having completed what I set out to do. It is a wonderful feeling.
Finishing what you start can be a real challenge, but so rewarding when you finally get to the end.
You were born into this world to do something special and if you’re not doing that special thing you’re wasting your life. Start something worth doing that will make a difference and see it through to the end just make sure you finish what you start.
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